Lehigh County Government should be accountable to the people it serves, and sunshine is the best disinfectant. When elected, I would pass tougher ethics ordinances and improve accessibility to county policy.
We must ensure that outside interests and the ultra-wealthy do not have undue influence over the county government. Therefore, I would pass ethics ordinances that prohibit unlimited campaign contributions and have more disclosure requirements for donors receiving no-bid county contracts. Further, if we truly want an accountable government, we need to increase the consequences for not releasing campaign finance reports, which are now capped at a small $250 fine.
Besides campaign finance reform, I would work with the Lehigh County IT department to build off of the current online database to make a more user-friendly compilation of county ordinances and appointments. I would improve access to recorded sessions of the County Commissioners’ Meetings as well, to allow more citizen information as to the status of Lehigh County.
Finally, I would find new and simpler ways for Lehigh County community members to contact and speak with their representatives, such as public email inboxes. Only by communicating to the people of Lehigh County could your county government represent you, and I will fight tirelessly to ensure that your voices are heard.
Dave Harrington for Lehigh County Commissioner 